Very Exclusive Gadgets & Gizmos

You don’t need to wait for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas to give gifts to a loved one, and kids of all ages definitely love presents without any occassion! The Discovery Drumset might be your next purchase in line, as it will help hone your little one’s hand-eye co-ordination since one needs to follow the lights to play a song, but the more musically inclined will be able to create their own tunes with the ability to choose from eight drum rhythms. Powered by a quartet of AA batteries, it is currently on sale for $19.99.

An infinite number of Bliptronics can be attached together using the link ports and included cables. When one Bliptronic reaches the end of it’s pattern, the next Bliptronic is instantly triggered to start playing. This allows you to make longer songs where each person controls a section of the song. You can even set the tempo and instrument differently on each Bliptronic in the chain to achieve unconventional musical results.

OK we admit it. There are times – and this is one – when we feature things just because they’re glittery. And shaped like a cassette tape. The Urban DJ Mixer probably won’t change your life, it’s definitely not marriage proposal material and your chances of scoring a major recording deal with Universal because of it are…well…slim. But it’s gold coloured. And shaped like a cassette tape. Did we say that already? £19.99/$32.00.

For the music lovers who are keen to blend lyrical themes all on their own, the Eigenharp has debuted for the first time in the U.S. The innovative and revolutionary new instruments allows the musician to play and improvise, change scales and keys, transpose, alter tempo, program beats, create arrangements, switch and layer multiple sounds - all this while performing live on stage. The Eigenharp’s instruments are versatile and fun that anyone can learn to play. Priced at $6500, it can be ordered now for pre-Christmas delivery.

This Roll Up Drum Kit gives you portable rhythm wherever you go. It’s powered via USB and comes with Windows (XP/Vista) software to power the samples. There are 70 different sounds and the software gives you tempos from 40 to 280 bpm. It comes with 6 programmable pads and a pair of plastic drum sticks. US$59.95 from SkyMall.

The Olive 4HD is a Hi Fi media server for the CD-collecting generation and music connoisseur. The 4HD plugs straight into a stereo amplifier for playback but also rips CDs and 24bit CDs to its 2TB hard drive via the state-of-the-art DAC and CD drive. It can store 6,000 CDs or 20,000 24bit tracks which should keep the party going for a while.

It’s not just highbrow music though, it’ll connect to your 802.11b/g/n or Gigabit network, talk to your Mac or PC and stream music from anything on the network. It even has album art. All this fun will cost you US$1,999 but hey, it looks great!

Sure, the iPod Shuffle was made for those who just want to play MP3s, and don’t want to have to deal with the price of more elegant models like the Touch. However, the Shuffles are pretty expensive in and of themselves compared to MP3 Players like the Creative Zen Stone and the Sansa Clip Plus.

I had a chance to try out the Sansa Clip Plus, and I have to admit, it was much easier to use than an iPod Shuffle. For starters, I didn’t have to deal with iTunes, which really eats up a lot of processing on my computer.

Griffin Technology, the company who created the first iPhone controlled hardware with the iTrip, has also made another version of this device with the iTrip Auto. Designed for both the iPod and iPhone, it uses SmartScan technology to transmit your playlist to your car stereo.

All the user has to do is plug in the iTrip Auto to their Apple device with the Apple connector, then start their music. The other end of the cable gets plugged into the car’s cigarette lighter, which will power the transmitter.

Are you musically inclined? If so, how many gadgets out there are musical enough for you, or are you one who wants to have something very different apart from the standard piano and drum kit? Enter the Stylophone Beatbox which opens up a whole new world of percussion goodness.

Popular for its wide range of tones, sleek look and durability, the Gibson SG has attracted rockers like Angus Young, who inspired a whole wave of rock guitarists to come. Continuing the manufacture of Limited Editions, the Gibson Custom Shop has offered its reproduction of one of the world’s most renowned SGs in the form of the Angus Young SG. The Limited Edition keeps intact the tone, look and feel of the previous models but updates this legendary guitar with custom modifications requested by Angus himself.